In London, the highest salary increases in the private sector have been at the trainee/assistant buyer and procurement analyst level, as more employers invest in junior candidates to support their function and provide the necessary information to allow the more senior members to focus on strategy, optimisation, and negotiation. This is driving demand for graduates with solid analytical and commercial knowledge, often following a year’s work placement in a related field.

A skill shortage remains in the public sector procurement market, further exacerbated by an ongoing mismatch between candidate’s salary expectations and the salaries offered by employers. Demand is strong for procurement officer and manager level roles. The market is moving away from category focused roles creating the greater need for generalist experience. The exception would be the construction industry where specific category experience is highly sought after.

There has been a deliberate government move to relocate departments away from central London to areas such as Canary Wharf, Stratford or Croydon, creating movement by employees who do not want to commute to these areas.

Kate Langham - Private Sector and Erinna Dixie - Public Sector